RW Tyler Boucher - Belleville Senators, AHL (2021, 10th, OTT)

[BondraTime]

I had him number 145 on my board.

Boucher was number 70.
Roger was number 220,

Hard to take a list with 220 made by a single person seriously.

Can just use McKenzie’s list, where all 3 were seen as pretty significant reaches.

Boucher 10th - Ranked 29th = + 19
Ostapchuk 39th - Ranked 95th = + 56
Roger 49th - Ranked 89th = + 40

All 3 guys were significant reaches going by the best barometer for rankings we have, all 3 have been very bad picks, statistically at the very least, but none were expected to be there outside the 3rd.

 

[GTA]

I had him number 145 on my board.

Boucher was number 70.
Roger was number 220,

The second anyone produces a personal ranking list of more than even 50 prospects, I know they are full of shit. 200+? Buddy you aren’t fooling anyone.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Stat-watchers have gotten quiet. I'll provide the update on his stats because thats all that matters for a player that clearly is not all about statistic contributions.

Boucher has 9 points in 11 games the last month. Obviously thats not some terrific accomplishment, but it's really not too bad, especially considering his SH% is still pretty low (has been all season in the OHL). His SOG per game in that span is also at a level that would be top 10-15 in the league over the course of a full season. SOG per game is one of the best indicators of offensive contributions.

He also brings other parts of the game that aren't points. You want him to have some offense. He doesn't need to be the driver.

I think it was Scott Wheeler that said not that long ago that he's been playing through injuries. I would not advise that for a prospect, but that can impact effectiveness. That could explain some of the struggles he's had at various points this season. He also struggled with injuries last season. It's tough to play that style and remain free of injuries.

 

[newfy]

Stat-watchers have gotten quiet. I'll provide the update on his stats because thats all that matters for a player that clearly is not all about statistic contributions.

Boucher has 9 points in 11 games the last month. Obviously thats not some terrific accomplishment, but it's really not too bad, especially considering his SH% is still pretty low (has been all season in the OHL). His SOG per game in that span is also at a level that would be top 10-15 in the league over the course of a full season. SOG per game is one of the best indicators of offensive contributions.

He also brings other parts of the game that aren't points. You want him to have some offense. He doesn't need to be the driver.

I think it was Scott Wheeler that said not that long ago that he's been playing through injuries. I would not advise that for a prospect, but that can impact effectiveness. That could explain some of the struggles he's had at various points this season. He also struggled with injuries last season. It's tough to play that style and remain free of injuries.

On the flip side...

If you have to bring up a month where a top 10 pick has went under a point per game in junior as a good thing for him, it says a lot about the play of that prospect in a not so good way.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

On the flip side...

If you have to bring up a month where a top 10 pick has went under a point per game in junior as a good thing for him, it says a lot about the play of that prospect in a not so good way.

Thats only if you look at it through the lens of he must live up to the expectations of a top ten pick.

I personally don't care where he's picked. My interest is in seeing him have a successful career as an American hockey player. I think he's going to one of the most exciting players in the NHL, just as people view Tom Wilson as that.

Boucher is well on his way to making the NHL and he's showing some offense, which is always what should've been expected. If you are expecting him to be an offensive driver, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I can understand why fans of the team that drafted him would be upset with the pick. You may have wanted a different style of player, but his play recently hasn't been bad, at all. Absolutely should quiet the people who have declared his career without ever watching him play one game of hockey.

 

[GTA]

Thats only if you look at it through the lens of he must live up to the expectations of a top ten pick.

I personally don't care where he's picked. My interest is in seeing him have a successful career as an American hockey player. I think he's going to one of the most exciting players in the NHL, just as people view Tom Wilson as that.

Boucher is well on his way to making the NHL and he's showing some offense, which is always what should've been expected. If you are expecting him to be an offensive driver, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I can understand why fans of the team that drafted him would be upset with the pick. You may have wanted a different style of player, but his play recently hasn't been bad, at all. Absolutely should quiet the people who have declared his career without ever watching him play one game of hockey.

This is a truly bizarre post. Most exciting players in the NHL?

 

[BondraTime]

He’s gone pointless in 7/11 of the past games, very strange time to call stat watchers out, his stats haven't been good

He's a sure NHLer for the Sens, his development this season has been disappointment on all fronts thus far

Lots of time left

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

For me :

Boucher Round 2
Ostapchuk Round 7
Roger Undrafted

The 2021-2022 season proves Ottawa's recruiting team terribly wrong.

When you see the performances of the following choices (Sillinger, Morrow, Chibrikov) it hurts. And it would be too easy to talk about Raty.

Last year I thought it was the worst draft of 2021. My opinion has grown stronger.

 

[Patrik Barkov]

Stat-watchers have gotten quiet. I'll provide the update on his stats because thats all that matters for a player that clearly is not all about statistic contributions.

Boucher has 9 points in 11 games the last month. Obviously thats not some terrific accomplishment, but it's really not too bad, especially considering his SH% is still pretty low (has been all season in the OHL). His SOG per game in that span is also at a level that would be top 10-15 in the league over the course of a full season. SOG per game is one of the best indicators of offensive contributions.

He also brings other parts of the game that aren't points. You want him to have some offense. He doesn't need to be the driver.

I think it was Scott Wheeler that said not that long ago that he's been playing through injuries. I would not advise that for a prospect, but that can impact effectiveness. That could explain some of the struggles he's had at various points this season. He also struggled with injuries last season. It's tough to play that style and remain free of injuries.

Kid's got 14 points in 24 OHL games in his d+1 season. Would he even get drafted this year? Yes I'm purely statwatching and certainly don't wish against him but this is truly some abysmal production for a top-10 pick no?

 

[BondraTime]

Kid's got 14 points in 24 OHL games in his d+1 season. Would he even get drafted this year? Yes I'm purely statwatching and certainly don't wish against him but this is truly some abysmal production for a top-10 pick no?

He’d be drafted for sure, obviously nowhere near as high as he went last year, but he’d absolutely be drafted

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

This is a truly bizarre post. Most exciting players in the NHL?

I can see why you take offense. Your takes lose big if it’s right.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Kid's got 14 points in 24 OHL games in his d+1 season. Would he even get drafted this year? Yes I'm purely statwatching and certainly don't wish against him but this is truly some abysmal production for a top-10 pick no?

Did you even read my post?

 

[bert]

Did you even read my post?

No he definitely didnt, Boucher was a dissapointing pick as a sens fan but some of the takes in here are very strange. It was a reach and there were better options. But that doesnt mean he wont be an effective NHL player. If he was picked in the late first round or second no one is freaking out like this. You articulated the type of player he is well, I dont think the poster you quoted had any idea, very rarely is physical play considered a positive on HF boards. However thats not how it works in real hockey as we all know. Ottawa is going to take their time with him, he likely does contribute at some point but not in a top 6 role.

 

[super6646]

No he definitely didnt, Boucher was a dissapointing pick as a sens fan but some of the takes in here are very strange. It was a reach and there were better options. But that doesnt mean he wont be an effective NHL player. If he was picked in the late first round or second no one is freaking out like this. You articulated the type of player he is well, I dont think the poster you quoted had any idea, very rarely is physical play considered a positive on HF boards. However thats not how it works in real hockey as we all know. Ottawa is going to take their time with him, he likely does contribute at some point but not in a top 6 role.

He’s a disappointment as a late first rounder. Not even ppg in his draft +1 season in juniors is not a good sign at all.

 

[super6646]

Just for perspective, jack beck was a 6th rounder in 2021 for the flames and plays on the same team as Boucher. 1.22 ppg vs 0.58. Ik Ottawa isn’t a great team and Boucher offers other aspects to his game supposedly, but a 6th rounder shouldn’t be running laps around a top 10 pick production wise

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He’s a disappointment as a late first rounder. Not even ppg in his draft +1 season in juniors is not a good sign at all.

Have you ever seen him play?

 

[super6646]

Have you ever seen him play?

No, I haven’t, and I never stated as such. I stated his production was extremely disappointing. If you have a rebuttal that I have no credence on the player as a result, well then your twisting my comment to begin with.

I see Tom Wilson being mentioned as a comparable… he was well over a ppg in his d+1 year and a significantly bigger player.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

No, I haven’t, and I never stated as such. I stated his production was extremely disappointing. If you have a rebuttal that I have no credence on the player as a result, well then your twisting my comment to begin with.

I see Tom Wilson being mentioned as a comparable… he was well over a ppg in his d+1 year and a significantly bigger player.

So you admit that you are only stat-watching and then want to claim that you can approximate all that’s relevant in the equation. Says it all for most of the commentary against this guy. A lot of people like piling on. They don’t feel the need to be informed about what they are discussing.

 

[super6646]

So you admit that you are only stat-watching and then want to claim that you can approximate all that’s relevant in the equation. Says it all for most of the commentary against this guy. A lot of people like piling on. They don’t feel the need to be informed about what they are discussing.

Production in lower leagues is still amongst the best indictors (if not the best) for predicting making the nhl. Say what you want about “stat-watching”, but its not something that can should be brushed off either because you say so.

Nobody here has anything personal with the guy, but him being a top 10 pick is more an indictment for Ottawa’s scouting staff than this player. I never root against a player (unless he’s a pos or whatever), but his production has been terrible. Look at just about every run of the mill 4th liner in the nhl who played major junior, and they all produced at least around a ppg in their draft year. Even if he couldn’t adapt to college, he should be producing far more in his current circumstance. If this guy is even a regular 4th liner in the nhl, I’d be stunned.

 

[God]

His best possible outcome is becoming Lucic, who had maybe one of the strangest career arcs I've ever seen. That's a 1 in 1000 chance, probably even smaller.

 

[bert]

He’s a disappointment as a late first rounder. Not even ppg in his draft +1 season in juniors is not a good sign at all.

Thank you for illustrating exactly what I'm talking about. You couldn't have done it any better. Bravo.

 

[bert]

Production in lower leagues is still amongst the best indictors (if not the best) for predicting making the nhl. Say what you want about “stat-watching”, but its not something that can should be brushed off either because you say so.

Nobody here has anything personal with the guy, but him being a top 10 pick is more an indictment for Ottawa’s scouting staff than this player. I never root against a player (unless he’s a pos or whatever), but his production has been terrible. Look at just about every run of the mill 4th liner in the nhl who played major junior, and they all produced at least around a ppg in their draft year. Even if he couldn’t adapt to college, he should be producing far more in his current circumstance. If this guy is even a regular 4th liner in the nhl, I’d be stunned.

So not only do you only stat watch you don't understand development either. You need a new hobby. If you think switching countries, billets, systems and leagues while battling injuries is simple then you have very little understanding of the sport. You also don't seem to grasp development curves being different for different types of players. As someone that we know won't actually watch the player why don't you give him one full year next season on a team that isnt the youngest in the OHL. On top of never watching the player or understanding that he has an NHL shot is a terrific skater and one of the most physical prospects in this years draft you continue to post. You're exactly why this site is a giant waste of time for people that want to have an intelligent discussion.

 

[bert]

His best possible outcome is becoming Lucic, who had maybe one of the strangest career arcs I've ever seen. That's a 1 in 1000 chance, probably even smaller.

Thats a pretty high end outcome. Lucic is still an important player 14 years into his career. No one expects that, somewhere between Chris Neil and Tom Wilson is what I'm hoping for. Like most big physical players with strong physical abilities it will be a longer development curve. It was not a good choice at 10 but that doesn't mean he can't contribute either. He has played 2 playoff games and has been pretty damn good. But I doubt any of you watched those.

 

[DrSense]

Very fair to say his production with the 67s has been disappointing, even though he is passing the eye test and he looks good overall. The one thing is his shooting percentage is really pretty horrible, and his shot rate is much more in line with elite level play. Is it like Caufield in the first half the season? That is the glass half full view, and I'm not sure his previous production justifies the benefit of the doubt. But he has played so little over the last few years, who knows. Fair to say the offensive upside questions are bigger now than in June, even though he projects as a really safe bet to be an NHLer based on his style and skills. Downside is looking more like an Austin Watson type, and upside is looking perhaps more like a Jake DeBrusk. Suffice to say, most Sens fans would probably just want the BPA if we could have a re-do, which if the Sens wanted a gritty scorer, would have been Othmann, Sillinger would have worked just fine too.

 

[God]

Thats a pretty high end outcome. Lucic is still an important player 14 years into his career. No one expects that, somewhere between Chris Neil and Tom Wilson is what I'm hoping for. Like most big physical players with strong physical abilities it will be a longer development curve. It was not a good choice at 10 but that doesn't mean he can't contribute either. He has played 2 playoff games and has been pretty damn good. But I doubt any of you watched those.

I meant that Lucic's draft year stats were not good (19 points in 62 WHL games), and his D+1 year was also not that good (68 points in 70 WHL games)...most people with those types of stats don't end up like Lucic, they end up in the AHL/ECHL. Wilson was over PPG in his D+1 year, and Neil was close to PPG - Boucher isn't really close right now.

Also I've watched tons of games where players looked good at the junior level and they never made it, but they all produced at the junior level. People are just saying it's not likely he's going to make it based on this fact and they're not wrong.